In addition to certain guarantees provided by law, LegalZoom guarantees your satisfaction with our services and support. Because our company was created by experienced attorneys, we strive to be the best legal document service on the web. If you are not satisfied with our services, please contact us immediately and we will correct the situation, provide a refund or offer credit that can be used for future LegalZoom orders.

LegalZoom Satisfaction Guarantee Details:

If you're not satisfied, simply call us toll-free at (800) 773-0888 during our normal business hours. All requests made under this guarantee must be made within 60 days of purchase. We will process your request within 5 business days after we've received all of the documents and materials sent to you. Unfortunately, we can't refund or credit any money paid to government entities, such as filing fees or taxes, or to other third parties with a role in processing your order. We also cannot refund any money paid by you directly to third parties, such as payments made by you directly to attorneys affiliated with our legal plans or attorney-assisted products.

If you want to exchange the product you ordered for a different one, you must request this exchange and complete your replacement order within 60 days of purchase. The purchase price of the original item, less any money paid to government entities, such as filing fees or taxes, or to other third parties with a role in processing your order, will be credited to your LegalZoom account. Any payments made directly by you to attorneys affiliated with our legal plans or attorney-assisted products are not eligible for exchange or credit. Any price difference between the original order and the replacement order or, if a replacement order is not completed within 60 days of purchase, the full original purchase price (in each case less any money paid to government entities or other third parties) will be credited to the original form of payment. If you paid for your original order by check, LegalZoom will mail a check for the applicable amount to your billing address.

Please note that we cannot guarantee the results or outcome of your particular procedure. For instance, the government may reject a trademark application for legal reasons beyond the scope of LegalZoom's service. In some cases, a government backlog can lead to long delays before your process is complete. Similarly, LegalZoom does not guarantee the results or outcomes of the services rendered by our legal plan attorneys or attorney-assisted products. Problems like these are beyond our control and are not covered by this guarantee.

Since we're dedicating time and effort to your legal document preparation, our guarantee only covers satisfaction issues caused by LegalZoom - not changes to your situation or your state of mind.

Why You Should File a Copyright

Why You Should File a Copyright

You probably have heard that as soon as you create a work and record it or write it down, you have copyright protection. This is correct, but the protection is limited. If you want the full range of protections and benefits that copyright law has to offer, registration is the way to go.

What Copyright Protects

A copyright protects an original artistic, literary, dramatic or musical work. This includes things like paintings, books, songs, movies, software and even advertising copy. Copyright law does not protect ideas. The work must be in a tangible medium. As soon as a work is put into a tangible form, copyright protection automatically applies — no further action is required. To be put in tangible form means that other people can read, see or hear the work.

As the creator of the work, you have the exclusive right to:

Distribute or publish the work

Make copies of the work

Make derivatives of the work

Perform the work

Display the work

As the creator, you can sell or license any of the rights listed above. But, if anyone attempts to distribute, publish, copy, perform or display the work without your express permission, they will be infringing on the copyright. They can face legal consequences — whether or not the work is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Under current law, the duration of a copyright is the life of the author plus 70 years.

Benefits of Copyright Registration

Public record. When a copyright is registered, it is published in the U.S. Copyright Office's searchable database. Because it is a public record, it is easy for people to find and see that it is a copyrighted work.

Ability to file an infringement lawsuit. If your copyright is not registered, you can't file a copyright-infringement lawsuit.

Validity of the copyright. The registration certificate will provide factual evidence of the validity of your copyright in a copyright-infringement lawsuit.

Statutory damages. Without copyright registration, any financial recovery is limited to actual damages, which can be nominal or difficult to prove. If you register your copyright, you are entitled to statutory damages and attorneys' fees. Statutory damages range from $750 to $30,000. In cases of willful infringement, the amount can be up to $150,000.

The process of copyright registration involves filling out an application form, paying a fee and submitting copies of the work to be registered to the U.S. Copyright Office. You can file a paper application or an online application. Save money and speed up the process by submitting online.

Why Copyright Registration Is Important for Businesses

Registering a copyright is not just beneficial to creatives and artists. Businesses can also benefit from registering the copyright for important software, company websites and marketing/advertising materials such as photographs, graphics and written copy.

If it is vital to your business, you should register the copyright. You will have increased legal protections, and the damages you will recover in a copyright-infringement lawsuit will be higher.

Also, if you have plans to expand your business internationally, you'll want to register your copyright. While there is no such thing as international copyright registration, the United States is a signatory to both the Berne Convention and the World Intellectual Property Organization Copyright Treaty — international treaties that cover copyright protection. Therefore, any work protected by U.S. copyright law is automatically entitled to the same copyright protection in other countries. Registration is not required but, as noted earlier, only registered copyrights are eligible for statutory damages and attorney and court fees.

Even though it is not mandatory, copyright registration provides valuable legal protection. It makes it easier for other people to find your protected material. It can help you avoid expensive and timely litigation. And it is essential if you ever find yourself filing an infringement lawsuit.

No matter the value of your estate, it is essential that you plan for what will happen to your assets after your death. A living trust, when done correctly, can assure a faster distribution of your assets, avoid unnecessary taxes and keep your wishes private as well. But, it must be done right. Here are five things you must do before writing a living trust.

Your living trust document creates your trust, but it is not functional until you actually transfer ownership of your assets to it. Find out how to transfer different types of assets and whether you need legal assistance.

Disclaimer: Communications between you and LegalZoom are protected by our
Privacy Policy but not by the attorney-client privilege or as work product. LegalZoom provides
access to independent attorneys and self-help services at your specific direction. We are not
a law firm or a substitute for an attorney or law firm. We cannot provide any kind of advice,
explanation, opinion, or recommendation about possible legal rights, remedies, defenses, options,
selection of forms or strategies. Your access to the website is subject to our
Terms of Use.